Foreclosure activity continued to increase in Mesa County during the third quarter, with foreclosure filings and sales both up from last year.

With the latest increases, Mesa County ranked third among the most populous counties in Colorado for the highest foreclosure rate.

According to statistics reported by the Colorado Division of Housing, 451 foreclosure filings and 264 foreclosure sales were reported in Mesa County during the third quarter. Those numbers represent a nearly 21 percent increase in filings and a 164 percent increases in sales over the third quarter of 2009.

Filings indicate how many foreclosure proceedings have been initiated after borrowers became seriously delinquent on their loans. Filings can be cured or withdrawn before property is sold at auction. Sales indicate how many borrowers have lost equity in properties sold at auction. Because of the period between filings and sales, the two don’t occur during the same quarter.

From the second quarter to the third quarter of 2010, foreclosure filings rose nearly 22 percent in Mesa County, although sales dropped 5 percent.

Through the first three quarters of 2010, however, filings and sales both increased compared to the same span last year. A total of 1,218 filings were reported during the first three quarters of 2010, a 50 percent increase over 2009. A total of 800 foreclosure sales were reported through the first three quarters of 2010, a nearly 300 percent increase over the year before.

For the third quarter of 2010, Mesa County reported one foreclosure sale for every 221 households, a ratio that ranks third highest among the 12 most populous counties in Colorado. Adams County reported the highest foreclosure rate at one sale for every 193 households. Weld County was second at one sale for every 210 households. The 12 most populous counties cumulatively account for about 85 percent of foreclosure activity in the state.

Statewide, 10,587 foreclosure filings were reported during the third quarter of 2010, down 15 percent from the same quarter last year. Foreclosure sales increased year-to-year, though, rising 18 percent from 5,618 in the third quarter of 2009 to 6,629 in the third quarter of 2010.

Through the first three quarters of 2010, a total of 31,956 filings and 19,202 sales were reported in Colorado. Filings are likely to surpass 40,000 for 2010, but fall short of the record 46,394 filings in 2009. Foreclosure sales remain on pace to nearly match the record 25,054 sales reported in 2007.

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